The wildest Partridge hooks you will ever see.. eye/eye

A place to discuss the collecting and tying of classic flies, the tyers who made them famous, the tools, materials and techniques they used as well as the waters they were designed for. While classic is generally used to describe old things, classic is also used in the sense of first class or in the highest form. Therefore a fully dressed Salmon Fly, or a Carrie Stevens Streamer are just as much classics as a Chernobyl Ant would be. Enjoy the forum.

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Brian K. Shaffer
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The wildest Partridge hooks you will ever see.. eye/eye

#1

Post by Brian K. Shaffer »

Image
These hooks were given to me by an old timer... There is a line tie at the hook point position... ?!?!

Any thoughts here.. ? Top and bottom look like a limerick bend but with a straight eye and the middle a long shank hooper dry fly hook ?

Was this a guide's hook ? a joke hook ? a finesse hook.. as in try to land it ?!?!

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Re: The wildest Partridge hooks you will ever see.. eye/eye

#2

Post by Althehackleman »

Have seen these. What I was told is they were designed for no kill areas and children for just catch and see the fish kind of things. Saw a box of them years ago but never bought any. While I fish barbless I still enjoy a touch of fish once in a while.

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Re: The wildest Partridge hooks you will ever see.. eye/eye

#3

Post by joaniebo »

Lucky that these hooks don't have beads on them or else I know a couple guys who would probably pilfer them from you!

Hans Weilenmann
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Re: The wildest Partridge hooks you will ever see.. eye/eye

#4

Post by Hans Weilenmann »

Memory lane stuff 8)

These hooks are called TAG (Touch And Go) hooks, concept by John Betts and turned into actual hooks under Alan Bramley, at that time the owner of Partridge of Redditch.

Cheers,
Hans W

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Re: The wildest Partridge hooks you will ever see.. eye/eye

#5

Post by roycestearns »

a hook for lawn casting, (not a bad idea)?
a cat fish fly hook, when you're fishing for your cat?
a hook for easy fish, the fish can release themselves?

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Re: The wildest Partridge hooks you will ever see.. eye/eye

#6

Post by Tom2Cast »

Indeed John Betts design, when pressured by his psychology professor wife when asked; "How many fish have to die before you become famous?"
Well there is some truth to this after fishing for many years now.
-Tom

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Re: The wildest Partridge hooks you will ever see.. eye/eye

#7

Post by Brian K. Shaffer »

joaniebo ... I believe that I have some with beads... Bob Church gold heads I think.
Does that name ring a bell ?

I must locate them amongst this mess and tie something on them... where did I put those hooks with no hook ?
" There's no such thing as a fly fisherman wholly satisfied with his casting performance. " ~ Jim Green (1971)
" Just once I wish a trout would wink at me. " ~ Brian Shaffer

Use the SEARCH for justification and reasoning.

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Re: The wildest Partridge hooks you will ever see.. eye/eye

#8

Post by crowebeetle »

Not related to the hooks but George Harvey in his later years cut the barb off his hooks - his goal was to have the take - he didn't need to catch more fish.

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Re: The wildest Partridge hooks you will ever see.. eye/eye

#9

Post by Brian K. Shaffer »

No one else would dare do such a thing.

May he rest in peace. What a legendary man.
" There's no such thing as a fly fisherman wholly satisfied with his casting performance. " ~ Jim Green (1971)
" Just once I wish a trout would wink at me. " ~ Brian Shaffer

Use the SEARCH for justification and reasoning.

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Re: The wildest Partridge hooks you will ever see.. eye/eye

#10

Post by crowebeetle »

He was a legend, he taught the first college-level class on fly fishing in 1934 at Penn State.

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Re: The wildest Partridge hooks you will ever see.. eye/eye

#11

Post by Silver Doctor »

They would make tying on a second fly on a 2 fly rig easy.
Last edited by Silver Doctor on 12/02/21 09:37, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: The wildest Partridge hooks you will ever see.. eye/eye

#12

Post by henkverhaar »

Brian K. Shaffer wrote:
12/04/13 06:04
Image
These hooks were given to me by an old timer... There is a line tie at the hook point position... ?!?!

Any thoughts here.. ? Top and bottom look like a limerick bend but with a straight eye and the middle a long shank hooper dry fly hook ?

Was this a guide's hook ? a joke hook ? a finesse hook.. as in try to land it ?!?!
One of Alan Bramley's tongue in cheek projects - in cahoots with John Betts at the time I believe - They were called TAG hooks - for Touch And Go. Intended to get a fish to rise, take the fly (the essence of fly fishing according to John Betts: fooling the fish into taking a imitation for real food), then make sure you have a LDR...

Oops - old thread, and friend Weilenmann already gave the history...

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Re: The wildest Partridge hooks you will ever see.. eye/eye

#13

Post by Brian K. Shaffer »

Many thanks for your version of the history though - I personally love to hear the story every time.

Singapore hooks... if you have tied on any - do you think the quality is any different ?

Image

but these are neat.. they have Inline eyes... imagine the fly underwater riding on that hook ~

Image

Found the Church hooks... no beads on these...

Image

All the really good info on the back :

Image

Image
" There's no such thing as a fly fisherman wholly satisfied with his casting performance. " ~ Jim Green (1971)
" Just once I wish a trout would wink at me. " ~ Brian Shaffer

Use the SEARCH for justification and reasoning.

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Re: The wildest Partridge hooks you will ever see.. eye/eye

#14

Post by ted patlen »

henkverhaar wrote:
12/02/21 03:05
Brian K. Shaffer wrote:
12/04/13 06:04
Image
These hooks were given to me by an old timer... There is a line tie at the hook point position... ?!?!

Any thoughts here.. ? Top and bottom look like a limerick bend but with a straight eye and the middle a long shank hooper dry fly hook ?

Was this a guide's hook ? a joke hook ? a finesse hook.. as in try to land it ?!?!
One of Alan Bramley's tongue in cheek projects - in cahoots with John Betts at the time I believe - They were called TAG hooks - for Touch And Go. Intended to get a fish to rise, take the fly (the essence of fly fishing according to John Betts: fooling the fish into taking a imitation for real food), then make sure you have a LDR...

Oops - old thread, and friend Weilenmann already gave the history...

Yep, mid 1990's I believe

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Re: The wildest Partridge hooks you will ever see.. eye/eye

#15

Post by jim royston »

Maybe they were used to make hat pins and such, like the gold colored ones that used to be around

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Re: The wildest Partridge hooks you will ever see.. eye/eye

#16

Post by 16pmd »

A few steelhead fanatics used to cut the points off their hooks and fish just for the grab or the surface take. You would have to be really hardcore to do that now with the dwindling runs in the West.

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Re: The wildest Partridge hooks you will ever see.. eye/eye

#17

Post by bluesjay »

Hi Guys, A shift away from 'torture and release.'

We have a kiddy pond here in Walden, so no fishing unless a kid or Veteran. I used to give casting lesson there with a piece of yarn tied on. They had a nice bunch of Rainbows at the time that would be actively rising all over the pond. It was great, lots of rises to cast to and a nice little tussle and then gone. pretty cool............

Jay Edwards

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Re: The wildest Partridge hooks you will ever see.. eye/eye

#18

Post by henkverhaar »

I think the inline hooks are/were to clamp them in the vice by the eye and have them oriented correctly to tie reverse/upside down flies - like the WaterWisp...

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Re: The wildest Partridge hooks you will ever see.. eye/eye

#19

Post by Brian K. Shaffer »

I always thought this pattern used a variation of the Swedish Dry Fly hook :
Never saw these in my local shops.

1996 Fly Rod & Reel
Image
" There's no such thing as a fly fisherman wholly satisfied with his casting performance. " ~ Jim Green (1971)
" Just once I wish a trout would wink at me. " ~ Brian Shaffer

Use the SEARCH for justification and reasoning.

ted patlen
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Re: The wildest Partridge hooks you will ever see.. eye/eye

#20

Post by ted patlen »

UPSIDE DOWN AND BACKWARDS FLIES HAVE BEEN AROUND A LLLLOOOONNNNNGGG TIME.

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